TFNet’s 15th Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting was held on 20 November 2023 in Jianguo Hotel, Guangzhou, China.
The BOT meeting was attended by 11 members, comprising of seven Country members (Malaysia, China, Fiji, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Australia), two Associate members (CABI and MARDI), one expert member, and a representative from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, who joined via Zoom. Three observers and 5 members of the Secretariat were also present.
H.E. Lokman Hakim Ali, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malaysia who is also the Chairperson of the TFNet Board of Trustees chaired the meeting alongside the Board Vice Chairs from China and Fiji.
In his opening address, H.E. Lokman Hakim Ali called on the importance of the Board of Trustees to “provide concrete recommendations aimed at rendering the network more attuned to the evolving dynamics and requirements of the tropical fruit industry, thereby ensuring its continued relevance” … adding that “the prevailing conditions in the global tropical fruit trade will significantly influence the strategic direction of TFNet in the forthcoming years”.
The 2022-2023 progress report was presented by Dorothy Chandrabalan, Acting CEO of TFNet, highlighting the activities conducted by the network throughout the year, touching on aspects such as membership growth, financial sustainability, information on ongoing projects, symposiums, workshops, capacity development, and corporate communications. Planned activities for 2024 were also presented and discussed.
Members were invited to highlight the main issues and challenges affecting the tropical fruit situation in their respective countries, followed by possible project ideas which can be taken up by TFNet in the coming year.
The meeting ended with a call by TFNet’s Chairperson for all countries and members to play an active role in expanding TFNet’s membership by engaging national-level industry players, including the private sector, in joining TFNet, while also leveraging on TFNet’s unique position as the sole international organization dedicated to tropical fruits.
Members present
Chair: Malaysia – H.E. Lokman Hakim Ali, Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malaysia
Vice Chair: China – Dr. Yi Ganjun, Vice President, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GDAAS) People’s Republic of China
Vice Chair: Fiji – Mr. Shalendra Prasad, Head of Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Fiji
Member Countries
Dr. Md. Akhtar Hossein Khan, Chief Seed Technologist, Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh
Ms. Susanthi Nilmini Chandrasena, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka
Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director General, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI), Vietnam
Mr. Guanglin Wang, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Australia
Associate Members
Dr. Feng Zhang, Regional Director, CAB International (CABI) – SEA
Dr. Asfaliza Ramli, Deputy Director General, MARDI
Expert Member
Dr. Mohamad Roff Mohd Noor, Malaysia
FAO
Mr. Pascal Liu, Team Leader, International Investment and Tropical Fruits, Trade and Markets Division